


Babel

by ciaan



Category: Smallville
Genre: Alien Technology, Aphasia, CLFF, Clexfest, Episode Related, M/M, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-17
Updated: 2013-02-13
Packaged: 2017-10-03 05:11:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ciaan/pseuds/ciaan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." (Genesis 11:6-7) A conversation to bridge the gaps. The value of communication. (Written in December 2005 for the CLFF Wave 14, working from the scene in episode 2.17 Rosetta where Lex finds Clark's family tree.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to kinetikatrue and drkcherry for betaing.

Lex entered the Talon, surveying the colorful, busy room until he spotted Clark and Lana seated at one of the small tables talking together. As he headed toward them he saw Clark throw something at the trashcan and stand up, looking upset. Clark turned to leave, almost running into Lex, clearly not having noticed his approach.

"Clark, I've been looking all over for you." Lex was still worried about what was going on with his friend. He'd found Clark passed out twice recently, once down in the Kawatchee caves and once in the middle of the road at night. And now there was talk of a symbol, like the ones in the caves, mysteriously appearing on the Kent barn, written there in fire.

"Sorry, Lex, I can't talk right now," Clark said, his voice tight. He brushed past Lex and was gone.

Lex turned to Lana, eyebrow raised, trying to appear wry and unaffected. "Looks like we've been abandoned."

Lana shrugged, turning away as well. "Story of my life," she said as she walked to the bar, leaving Lex standing alone in the middle of the room. He looked around, and his gaze fell on the crumpled piece of paper Clark had thrown, sitting there on the floor at the base of the trashcan. Curious, Lex walked over and picked it up, flattening it out. It was a cartoonish family tree form, with Clark's name at the top, and many strange symbols, reminiscent of the ones in the cave, written all over it. Lex glanced at the door to the street, then back at Lana, taking orders from customers at the counter. He decided to drive to the caves. He had a hunch that he might find Clark there again, and even if he didn't, he could compare this paper to the rock walls.

When he arrived at the caves the guard said that no one had been in recently, but that proved nothing. That's what the guard had said the last time Lex found Clark in here. And this time, indeed, it was the same. Clark was sitting there in the dim rocky space, in the middle of the floor, head buried in his arms. He looked up as Lex's flashlight beam brushed across him, blinking. At least he was awake and conscious this time.

Clark didn't move as Lex approached and sat down beside him, futilely attempting to brush away some of the dirt before lowering himself to the ground. "Clark. Is everything alright?" Lex turned off his flashlight, plunging the two of them into dim greyness.

"Of course it is," Clark answered. Lex hadn't really expected him to say anything else. Clark's green eyes looked like dark spots in his face, his features drawn in around them. Something was clearly worrying him very much.

"Is this part of the problem?" Lex pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket, continuing on as if Clark had admitted something to him. "What actually happened down here when you were passed out? Clark, I just want to know so I can help."

Shaking his head frantically, Clark pulled back a little. "No, that's just a school assignment. I was doodling. Did you take that out of the trash?"

"It was on the floor. The symbols look like the ones here." Lex pointed at some of the expansive drawings on the walls, the rows of small symbols next to the pictures. "And the one that just appeared on your barn."

"You're overreacting, Lex. There's no connection. I don't know who put that thing on the barn, but it was just a hoax." Clark stood up. "I have to go."

Sighing, Lex nodded. It was just like all the other times he asked about anything. Clark started walking toward the cave entrance, and Lex watched him go. Then the room filled with a burst of light just as Clark passed by an outcropping of the rock wall that was dense with the strange writing. An explosive beam of multicolored light projected out, hitting Clark square in the chest and causing him to freeze in place, shaking, arms flung out, hair standing on end.

***

Clark groaned. Someone was grasping his shoulders, shaking him frantically. Why? Was he late for school? No, that was Lex's voice. Lex didn't wake him up for school. And why was his bed so hard and cold?

"Clark? Clark, wake up. Come on. Say something, damn it! Clark, is this what happened last time? You better not be hurt. Clark!"

Lex sounded really upset. He must be worried about something. Clark managed to open his eyes, and there was Lex bending over him. Right, they were in the caves. And... There had been another burst, like when he put the key in the opening, except he hadn't done anything to trigger it this time. He had just been walking out. And Lex had seen it. This was bad. How was he going to cover it up?

He sat up, putting a hand to his head. He needed to look like he was hurt a little, even though he wasn't, but not so hurt that Lex would want to take him to the hospital or anything. "I'm fine, Lex. You can stop worrying."

Lex just stared at him, reaching out and placing his fingers lightly on Clark's hand near his forehead. "Clark?"

"I don't know what happened, but I'm okay."

"This is not good."

"No, I'm fine. Really."

Lex sat back on his heels, pulling his hand away again. "Can you understand me? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Clark looked, very carefully. Maybe there was something wrong with him after all. "Three?" He switched to x-ray just to be sure, and yes, it was still three.

"Okay, that's it. I'm taking you to the medical center. Or no, wait, maybe you shouldn't be moved."

"Lex, I'm fine. Why are you talking like this? I'm not going to any doctors." Now he was worried. Maybe there was something wrong with Lex, instead? Lex was reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone, and Clark grabbed it away to stop him from calling anyone, 911 or even Helen. Lex grabbed at the phone himself, trying to take it back, but Clark held on to it easily. He then stuffed it down his jeans pocket. "Okay, what's going on here? Why are you being so weird?"

"Give me back my phone." Lex stretched out his hand, frowning.

"No." Clark shook his head.

Lex's frown twisted up on one side. He seemed to be thinking hard. "Nod if you can understand what I'm saying."

Clark nodded. Why would he not be able to understand what Lex was saying? He didn't know why Lex was being so difficult, but it wasn't like he couldn't still hear him clearly.

Frowning even more, Lex shook his head. "Clark, okay. I don't know whether you've noticed this yet or not, but you aren't speaking English. I think that explosion affected you somehow. Did this happen earlier, when I found you down here before?"

Was Lex serious? He really couldn't understand anything Clark said? It was possible. He had learned how to read some of the alien writing after using the key here the day before. It could be that had been only part of the information, and now whatever it was that was in the walls had given him more knowledge. He could be speaking the language of his home planet. He thought back to what he had said in the past few minutes. It just seemed like... it just seemed like talking. It hadn't sounded any different, had it? It really hadn't. He honestly couldn't tell the difference between what Lex said and what he himself said. Could Lex be trying to trick him in order to learn about his secret?

No, Clark dismissed that thought as soon as he had it. Lex wouldn't do anything like that.

"You really can't understand me?" Clark listened carefully to what he said, and he still couldn't hear any difference. Well, maybe a slight one. A little lag, as if what was in his mind and what came out of his mouth or into his ears wasn't quite the same. "Lex?" This wasn't good. Maybe he should go to his parents. But how could he get away from Lex right now? And what if, when he tried to leave, the caves did something else to him? They'd taken the key away, made it disappear, and now they were just shooting him full of information whenever they felt like it. Maybe they wouldn't let him leave. Maybe he shouldn't leave; maybe this was the only place it could be fixed. Maybe... Was that writing on the walls?

Okay, he could definitely read what was written there. Ignoring Lex's questioning look, he stood up, walking over and running his fingers across the marks on the wall by the keyhole.

Lex got up as well and walked over to stand behind him. "Can you read that? What does it say?"

"It says that this is now the only remnant of knowledge of Krypton, after the planet's destruction."

"That was very helpful, that gibberish. Thank you." Lex sounded a little sarcastic now. Well, it wasn't Clark's fault Lex couldn't understand. And it certainly proved that Lex couldn't understand him at all. That made him feel rather free, in fact.

"It was carved here to aid any refugees who might reach it, and then updated by the ship when I arrived. It says it hasn't received word of any other survivors." Clark closed his eyes, leaning forward and resting his forehead against the cool stone. "Apparently, as far as I can tell, that makes me the only remaining member of my entire species, left with no planet to call home. And now I can't even talk to anyone. Yeah, this will really help my grades at school."

Lex reached out and rested a hand tentatively on Clark's shoulder. "This must be difficult for you. But there has to be some way to fix it. I'm sure we can figure out what's going on."

Clark spun around, knocking Lex's hand away. "This isn't just some intellectual exercise for you to solve. This is my life. This is, apparently, my heritage. This is the language I should have grown up speaking. The problem isn't that I know it now; the problem is that no one else in the universe knows it. And I don't even really know it. It still sounds like English to me, not Kryptonian." It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair at all. Knowing this language ought to help him, it ought to tell him something, and it hadn't. It... Yes, it had. He slumped back against the wall. "I know what it was called. Krypton. My planet was called Krypton."

"Clark. Don't freak out. We just have to work through this. I've thought for a while that these markings were alien in origin. There might be some alien technology down here somewhere. If something in the cave walls, some computer or artifact, has reprogrammed the language centers of your brain, well... There has to be a way to decipher the language, or find the machine, or something. It's not hopeless." Lex was staring at him, clearly trying to reassure him. But the wild gleam in Lex's eyes showed that he wasn't exactly reassured himself, and so Clark didn't know how helpful that attempt actually was.

Although, maybe he should be glad that Lex was here. What if he'd been alone in the caves when this happened? He wouldn't have known that his language centers were reprogrammed, or whatever. He would have left here, ignorant, and what if he'd run into someone else along the way, and spoken crazy alien talk to them? That could have been horrible. What if he'd gone back to the Talon, and run into Lana again, or Chloe? Ouch. Even more awkward than having Lex here.

Clark looked up, meeting Lex's stare. "Okay. Figure something out. You're here, so solve it."

Lex nodded. "That's good. Stay calm. Let's try something simple. What's your name?"

"Clark."

"Mmm. That's bad."

"What? Why? What did I say?"

"Say Clark."

"Clark."

"You said Kal-El."

Oh, great. He couldn't even say his own name anymore. Knowing an alien language actually kinda sucked.

Lex leaned a little closer. "Say my name now."

"Lex."

"No, that's not it. Lex. Repeat that. Lex."

"I just said it, Lex. Lex. Lex." This was really frustrating.

Lex was frowning thoughtfully again. "That doesn't make any sense. Unless... But you don't know ancient Greek. Okay, Clark. Listen to me. Just then you said Meldom. Now, Alexander means the defender or helper of mankind. Does that word you said mean something like that? Helper?"

Clark thought about it. Helper. Defender. Had he really said Meldom? Meldom. That was... Oh. That was not good. That had to be some kind of horrible Freudian slip. He turned his head away, hoping he wasn't actually blushing or anything. Apparently he did actually understand this language, because when Lex said it, Clark knew what it meant. It meant helper, yes, but with a special connotation of a romantic sort. Almost more like beloved.

There was no way he was telling Lex that, so he just nodded.

"It does?" Lex sounded very pleased by that, actually. "We may be getting somewhere, then. Okay. Clark means scholar. Does the word you said there, Kal-El, mean that?"

He considered that. It didn't seem to. It just... It meant him. Clark. It just meant his name. Could it possibly be his name? If the information in the caves had been updated by the ship, the way it said, then maybe it could know his name. He could have been given one before he was sent here. That... That was a bit overwhelming. That would mean that someone had named him, cared about him, put him in a spaceship and sent him off into the vast emptiness alone, hoping that a journey like that was safer than remaining at home. What kind of extremity and dire peril would have to be the case for a person to do that? For a person to think that?

The kind that destroyed whole planets, obviously.

And Lex, Lex was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. It was hard to play this part now.

So Kal-El didn't mean scholar, and Clark didn't know what it did mean, but it was his name. If he told Lex it meant scholar he'd be muddying the results. But if he said it didn't mean that, how to explain the fact that he had used it as his name without admitting the truth about his origins?

Why not admit the truth? Lex couldn't understand it. Clark had already said it in front of him. Was Lex suspicious? Would he ever figure it out? How dangerous was all this, anyway?

"No, Lex." Oh, God, Clark, no, don't call him that again. "It doesn't mean scholar. That word, whatever I said just then, that does. Kal-El is my name, my alien name. You don't have any idea what I'm saying, and I think I might like it that way. That's the way it's always been, after all, this just makes it more obvious."

"Woah, slow down. Talk in shorter pieces. I didn't get any of that. Was that a yes? A no?"

Clark nodded, then shook his head. He wasn't sure.

"That was a yes?"

Clark shook his head again.

"A no?"

Clark nodded.

"Does it mean scholar?"

Clark shook his head.

"Well, that's confusing. Let's try something else. Can you say anything in another language? Je voudrais une baguette et du vin. Donde esta el verraco? Boku wa tamago desu. Morituri te salutamus. Mnasesthai tina fami kai usteron ammeon. Ich habe keine angst. Das sagen alle."

That made Clark reel a little. He guessed it was a taste of what Lex was experiencing now, so he tried to go along with it gamely. The problem was, he didn't know any languages other than English and, apparently, Kryptonian, and he couldn't think of anything to say except for the one joking phrase all the kids traded, and that might not be so appropriate.

Hopefully Lex would understand that it was all he had to offer in this situation.

"Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" Clark managed to stutter out.

Lex exhaled sharply. "Amazing. That actually worked." Then he cocked his head sideways and started to laugh. "Your pronunciation is horrible. Terrible. Awful. The schools in Smallville are even worse than I thought."

Whew. That was a relief. Clark almost laughed as well, but not really. Lex was mocking him. "I'm glad you find this funny, because I don't. You're being mean." He glared.

"Now, don't pout. I'm sure your pronunciation of this presumably alien language is excellent." Something in the gleam of his eyes made Clark doubt that was actually what Lex thought. He probably believed Clark was mangling the words that had taken over his brain. And he might even be right. There was no way to tell. "So, if you've been reprogrammed to speak an alien language, at least it only set itself as the dominant linguistic system in your mind, and didn't remove all previous knowledge you had. If you can say something that vaguely resembles French, we ought to be able to get you back to speaking English. And when we do, you'll hopefully retain your alien knowledge, and that will be very helpful in deciphering these caves. The possible benefits of that are so extreme as to be almost incalculable."

Clark just stared at him. "I don't want anyone else deciphering these caves. This is super secret. You can't tell anybody." There had to be a way to get that across. But how could he make Lex agree to it, even if he could make his friend understand? Clark gently but firmly clasped Lex around both upper arms, looking at him seriously. Lex seemed surprised, but met his gaze. Clark let go of Lex's right arm, and raised a finger to Lex's lips in a gesture of shushing. Then he pointed at the writing on the wall behind him, pointed at himself, and shook his head. "Shh. Don't tell anyone."

Lex didn't say anything. They were both silent for a moment as Lex glanced between the wall and Clark's face. Then finally he spoke, almost whispering. "You either want me to be quiet right now so you can listen for something, or you want me to not tell anyone about this little incident. To not investigate anything?" Clark nodded hurriedly. "But don't you think... No, that syntax is too complicated. Clark, do you realize how important this is?" Clark nodded again, and then pointed at the wall another time. "You don't want me to tell anyone precisely because it is important."

Now they were getting somewhere. Clark nodded again. It was getting rather annoying that nodding or shaking his head to what Lex said was his primary means of communication. It made him feel like a bobble doll, like the old carved wooden toys that used to belong to his grandfather, birds and fishermen and washerwomen with springs and strings that lifted their arms or wiggled their necks.

"Clark." Lex sounded exasperated as well. "If you really don't want anyone to know about this, it would require staying down here in these caves until you can talk normally again. And then it would mean ignoring the biggest clue we have to the existence of aliens. Technology that can alter someone's mind like this? That can travel between planets? There are all sorts of answers we could get, all sorts of progress that-"

Clark put his fingers over Lex's mouth, shaking his head yet again. "Damn it, Lex."

Lex's eyes widened. "You said damn."

"Yes, I swear some-" He'd said damn? "I did?"

Lex pushed Clark's hands away, and turned and actually began pacing around the cave, moving in restless narrow circles. "It could be that the alien language doesn't have a concept similar to damnation. Their religious ideas are probably completely different. Or maybe they don't have religion at all. See, these are the questions you could help answer."

"Damn fuck shit hell suck bitch ass..." Clark trailed off. These were the questions he could help answer with swear words, it seemed.

Smiling, Lex spun around to face him. "Naughty. I wondered whether you ever used such words. ...Maybe the aliens don't swear at all. Or maybe the computer database was made by prudes, and doesn't contain those terms." His intellectual curiosity was boundless, Clark concluded. Lex was very long-winded when he got going with these sorts of speculations.

"That's interesting and all, but we were talking about how you need to not ever tell anyone about this."

"I'm sorry, I didn't understand that. Maybe you should curse a bit more." Lex was smirking at him. It was very frustrating.

"Lex. Don't. Tell. Anyone."

"Maybe I do need some help in unraveling this conundrum. Maybe I should get your parents over here."

Oh, Clark had been wanting his parents earlier. But not any more. Now he didn't want to deal with them. He wouldn't be able to explain anything, it would be Lex who got to do all the talking, and that would not be good. He shook his head, since that seemed to be about all he could do. "You are so mean. Fuck you."

Lex smirked even harder. "Did you just use a bad word again?" His tone was so lilting and amused, but it couldn't melt Clark's annoyance. Clark would make himself stay strong. He would make himself stay upset. He would not see how funny he must sound. He just refused to. Okay, maybe he would smile back at Lex just a little. Lex walked back over to him, sighing. "Oh, Clark, I apologize. But when the only comprehensible things you can say are swear words and mangled foreign phrases..."

"Yeah, okay, it's kinda funny. But still. I'm trying to say something important to you, and I can't."

"Maybe it's time for another experiment." Clark watched as Lex scooped up his backpack from the ground and handed it over to him. "You have some paper and a writing utensil?" Clark took the backpack, and fished out his notebook and a pen, dropping the bag to the ground once he had them. Lex sat down, patting the ground next to him, leaning back against the stone wall. "Let's be methodical here." Clark sat down as well. "Write something. It doesn't matter what."

Clark opened up the notebook and stared at a lined sheet. 'Please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want you investigating the caves any more. This is serious.' Well, that looked fine.

Lex traced one of the lines in 'serious' with his finger. "Do you even realize what you're saying and writing?" Clark looked up at him, confused. "I guess you don't. You really can't tell the difference." Oh, great. That sounded like he hadn't managed to write anything Lex could read. "It looks really pretty, and it looks really similar to what's on the walls." He plucked the pen out of Clark's fingers and scribbled something. Clark looked at it once Lex's hand was out of the way. 'Can you read this?' It was back to nodding time, then. "Good." Lex wrote one more thing. 'Clark.' "I want you to copy that. Don't pay attention to words or meaning. Just look at the angles of the lines. Trace it, copy it, whatever it takes."

It felt very silly. It felt like he was back in elementary school, learning how to write for the first time. That probably wasn't such an inaccurate comparison, after all. Clark traced over the lines in his name a few times, paying attention to the way his hand moved, watching the tip of the pen as it glided and stumbled over the paper. Then he moved down and tried to do the exact same motions again on a blank section of the page. He couldn't even tell whether he had succeeded. It looked like he had, but he didn't think he could really judge, since the English and the Kryptonian writing looked identical anyway.

Lex leaned closer, his cheek almost resting on Clark's shoulder. "Read it to me."

"Clark. Can you read this?"

Lex tapped the page where Clark had written his name. "So that says Kal-El?"

"No, it says Clark." Clark slumped back against the rock, feeling the uneven surface rubbing against his shirt. He had failed at writing. Big fat F. Why was Lex so good at remembering an alien name he had heard only once?

Lex's eyes were searching his face. "You wrote some of these symbols before this happened. You already had some knowledge of the language. Why? How? Why were you unconscious in here earlier? Did you get part of this download then? This is important. If you want me to help you it will be much easier if I understand what's going on. Did the caves affect you previously?"

Clark didn't respond. He couldn't say no. He couldn't lie when he couldn't even talk. It was too precarious. But he just couldn't say yes.

"Do you want me to help you?"

That was a really good question. Did he want Lex to know the truth? He wasn't sure. It was very scary. Did he want Lex to help him? Yes. He didn't want to deal with this alone. And he knew that Lex was one of the few people who could figure this out, who could solve the puzzle. Lex hadn't freaked out. He was calm and reassuring and he had a lot of good ideas, when he wasn't laughing at Clark. He made it seem like this was no big deal, really, just a minor problem to deal with. Just another day in the life. Except... The way Lex looked right now. Like if Clark said no, I don't want you to help me... No, I don't trust you, I don't like you, I don't think you're good enough and I don't think you can do it and I don't want you to do it, just go away...

He couldn't say that. This time, when he nodded, it felt a lot more important. "I want you to help me."

Lex smiled, a bright, open smile. "Good. And I will help. Now. Did something like this happen before, that caused you to write alien symbols, and burned them into your barn?"

Another nod.

"You didn't seem to do anything to cause it this time, but can you think of anything you did to trigger the first incident?"

He definitely could, and he admitted it, head bobbing.

That made Lex perk up. "Really. Well, I suppose that's better than if this were utterly random. If it had a specific trigger, if it was for a reason... Why you? Why now? Why not me, or Dr. Walden, or the night guard, at any other time?"

"No, it had to be me, because I'm the alien it's all meant for. I put the key in the wall. I doubt it would react the same way to a human at all."

Lex just stared at him thoughtfully. "We'll get to a point where you can explain. Did you know how to speak this language after the first iteration, or just some writing?" When Clark didn't answer, Lex shook his head slightly. "Right. Simple questions. Did you only get writing the first time?" Okay, that one Clark could nod to. "Then we'll concentrate on that for now. Write your name again. Write Clark."

Clark tried to do so, but from Lex's little nose huff he could tell he failed again. Lex reached out and placed his hand over Clark's on the pen, then slowly started to move Clark's hand. "Clark. Not Kal-El, whatever that means exactly." With Lex's gentle pushes he moved the pen across the paper, and it did feel different from the last shape he had written, even though he couldn't see the difference. This language download was really wreaking havoc with his sensory perceptions, and it scared him a little to think that he couldn't even trust his own ears and eyes. Lex was pressed up against him, his chin on Clark's shoulder, his left hand guiding Clark's right, and it was awkward and cramped. Finally Lex nodded, and his breath slid across Clark's ear when he spoke. "Messy, but it'll do. Can you do it on your own?"

His fingers slid away, and Clark moved the pen again, trying to copy the earlier motions.

"Better. C, L, and then an incomprehensible symbol."

"It's not incomprehensible." That was almost an insult. Clark's original name was much more than just some random symbol. "It must have meant a lot to them, for them to name me that. It doesn't feel familiar to me yet, but I... it... It has a poetic ring to it, I think. Kal-El. It's probably something really historical or meaningful. I bet I'm named after someone even better than your Alexander."

"Mm. Clark. When you say things as vehemently as that, it makes me think that I'm missing out on something very important." Lex sounded wistful. "I hope you'll repeat whatever you've said some time when the circumstances are more favorable." Cark started to turn his head, and banged his forehead against Lex's. Lex didn't move. Clark didn't turn any further. "I know that you can understand me, but the fact that I can't understand you... It makes me feel like I'm talking into a void. Like anything I say is safe, with no consequences. As if I couldn't still see your reaction. I guess that's how you're feeling, but you know you're correct. So you can tell me the truth. Any truth. Will you?"

Closing his eyes, Clark went for it. "I already have. I'm an alien. These caves are my heritage, all mine. Everything you were ever suspicious about was right. I'm strong and fast and almost invulnerable, and I can see through solid objects and set things on fire and my main weakness is the meteor rocks. I wanted to tell you, I did, but I was always too scared to do so, scared of what you might do, scared of what I might do, I guess. No one knows except for my parents and Pete, and it's so hard. You're so hard, so difficult, I mean. Sometimes I wanted something to happen, something I couldn't deny, just so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Maybe this is what I wanted."

Lex was utterly still beside him, except for his low breathing, as if he were taking what Clark had said and storing it away somewhere like a treasure. It made Clark feel really guilty and inadequate. Finally he felt Lex shift. "Hey. Look at me." Lex's whisper was rough, so low. Clark opened his eyes, and stared into Lex's eyes, which were only a few inches away. "It's okay." Lex smiled softly at him. "That was rather gratifying. Now let's get you back in sync with the rest of the world. Try writing your name again."

That time Clark got through the C, L, A before lapsing back into Kryptonian. Lex was pleased. When he got the confirmation, after a few more tries, that he had actually managed to write 'Clark,' Clark whooped in excitement, and Lex grinned at him.

"Now write something else. How about cow?"

That resulted in more Kryptonian, not that Lex called it that when he relayed the information. He asked Clark to say cow, and then repeated back what he heard.

"Gelack. You're claiming that you spend most mornings out in the barn milking the gelacks. However, I would imagine that an alien planet doesn't have actual cows, so a gelack must be something else that serves the same sort of function as a domesticated food source."

"Well, you're right about this being an alien language, but I still don't know why you're so certain of it when you have no real confirmation. Do you have real confirmation?"

"I don't know. Can you draw a gelack? Or a cow, for that matter? This should be good, if your drawing skills are like your French skills."

"Fuck off. I can draw. A little."

"Now, you do know that excessive swearing is a sign of a limited vocabulary? That's what I was always told."

Clark stuck his tongue out at that. If his vocabulary was limited and he had to regress to simple childhood pantomime, then Lex would just have to deal with it.

Acting as if Clark hadn't done anything, Lex tapped the paper. "Draw me a cow."

It took a few minutes of doodling, but Clark managed to turn out what he felt was a passable cow. It had four legs, and a head, and a tail, and spots, and it was even in a fenced pasture with a barn in the background and a shining sun overhead. He showed it off to Lex.

Lex looked at it appreciatively. "That's definitely a cow. Better than I was expecting. Now do you think you can do a gelack? Concentrate. Did you get any knowledge to go along with your words? Gelack. Gelack. What does it look like?"

Clark concentrated. Then he stopped concentrating, and just tried to empty his mind and draw, listening to Lex say gelack. He stared at the results when he was done. Lex whistled, practically in his ear, startling Clark.

"That's certainly not a cow. Did you just make that up?"

Looking at the picture, Clark slowly shook his head. The creature there had six legs and a long, serpentine body. It didn't look like it would produce milk, but it was wearing a collar. It was most definitely not from Earth.

"It doesn't bear very much of a resemblance to the parasites, but it certainly helps substantiate the alien theory."

"Parasites?" Clark looked at him questioningly, trying to get across that he wanted Lex to explain more.

"You remember the parasites that were in the caves. I had a specimen analyzed, and even though we haven't been able to learn much, its physiology is unlike any other creature either living or extinct that's ever been seen before. The DNA research hasn't gotten very far, though."

Oh, bad. Very bad. Clark started scribbling again, drawing a picture of a little stick figure in a lab coat looking over a wormy thing. He held it up, made sure Lex was looking at it, and then deliberately made a giant hatch mark across it.

"You don't want me to do research on the parasites." Frantic nodding. "Clark... It's not up to you. I have conservatorship over these caves, and they belong to the community."

"No, they belong to me." Clark pointed at his chest. He flipped to a new page, and drew a picture that was supposed to be him, standing in the caves. The stick figure had shaggy hair and a flannel shirt, and the caves had Kryptonian writing.

"You're in the caves? You... I don't know. I don't get it."

Clark drew a circle around the caves. Then he started covering the other half of the page with a picture of Lex in his mansion, the turrets of the castle and a little bald stick figure standing at a pool table.

"You're in the caves, I'm in the castle... You want me to go play pool right now?" Lex sounded very confused, and Clark was really getting frustrated. He added what he hoped was an equals sign between the two pictures. "You in the caves equals me in the castle?" It seemed like he could still make at least some symbols Lex could understand. Maybe he could do math. Yay, just what he wanted. Time for more emphatic nodding.

Okay. So Lex was studying alien parasites. He knew they were alien. His scientists knew they were alien. How many scientists? How far had the information leaked? Would Lex be able to shut it down now? Would he want to? How could Clark convince him to do so?

He was getting a lot of drawing practice just now. He turned to yet another new page, and drew a parasite in a jar. He hoped he remembered enough about how they had looked to make it good, especially since he had really only seen their skeletons. Then he drew the stick figure Clark strapped down to a table with the guys in lab coats standing beside it, and a larger jar next to the table, just waiting for him.

"Oh, honestly. No, I'm not going to let anyone dissect you like a parasite, just because you're speaking a weird alien language." Lex sounded exasperated. "What are you thinking?"

Okay, deep breath. He drew another table, and another jar, and on that table he drew a stereotypical alien, a large-headed grey guy that could have crashed in Roswell. Then he put a question mark next to it.

"Would I have an alien dissected? Is that what you're asking?" Yes, that was it. Clark sighed and nodded. Lex frowned. "No. I, personally, would not support the dissection of a sentient alien. Well, maybe if it had been found already dead and there were no other aliens around to return the body to. But I would prefer to talk to a live alien."

"That's what you're doing right now, you know." But what he drew was a thought bubble coming from the head of the parasite in the jar, with what he hoped was 2 + 2 = 4 inside it, and then a question mark next to the whole picture.

Lex seemed like he almost wanted to grit his teeth as he answered. "True, I guess we didn't spend very long trying to ascertain whether those parasites were sentient. However, I can certainly state that they would be incapable of speaking the language you're currently speaking, which seems to indicate that they aren't the ones who created the technology that did this to you or wrote all over these caves. They never seemed to evince any signs of being intelligent or aware. I've seen smarter rats, and those get experimented on all the time."

Well, okay, that seemed fair. Clark was also fairly certain that the parasites weren't intelligent. But he wanted to know how diligent Lex was. He wanted to know because he had this sneaking suspicion that he was going to reveal himself sooner rather than later, as all this progressed, and he really would prefer to have Lex on his side. Lex placed his hand on Clark's shoulder. "Clark..."

If Lex's scientists were already investigating aliens, then the only person who could stop them or control them was Lex, right? Even breaking in and destroying the labs wouldn't put a permanent halt to the effort. And Lex would only stop it if he had a very compelling reason. Would he stop it? He had said he wouldn't let people dissect Clark, he had said he wouldn't experiment on an alien, he would rather just talk... But would all his beliefs about a hypothetical situation and how he would react to that fade away in light of the truth? Sometimes, when the situation actually arose, whatever plans and expectations there were didn't make it...

This was that situation. Those were Clark's plans, fading away and turning to dust. This was Clark's hand, dragging a pen over paper, changing everything.

He drew a solar system, the Sol system. Then he drew a different solar system, something with fewer planets, and he didn't know whether that was accurate, but it didn't matter. He drew a little shape between them, and arrows that showed it traveling from one to the other. He could feel Lex's fingers tightening on his shoulder. He drew a cornfield, and a lot of round things smashing into it, and one that wasn't so round and looked more like the ship in his storm cellar. He could hear Lex's heartbeat, feel it against his side. He drew a bridge, and a little car going off it, with a little stick figure on top of the hood. He could hear Lex breathing faster. Then he drew a big, comic book speech bubble around all that, and made it come out of the mouth of stick figure Clark standing in front of stick figure Lex. He could feel the warmth of Lex's breath against his cheek. He ended with a question mark next to the stick figures, and then he waited.

After a minute, Lex finally spoke, still gripping Clark's shoulder tightly enough that most people would have complained. "If... If you were to tell me that you were an alien, and you arrived here during the meteor shower, and I did indeed hit you with my car when we met... I wouldn't tell anyone else, and I wouldn't let anyone dissect you. And if you said that these caves were your castle, then I would keep them safe for you. Clark..." Lex pushed on his shoulder, turned them both so they were facing each other. Clark glanced up nervously, saw Lex's eyes deepening in blue, his eyebrows raised delicately, his jaw working as he swallowed. "Is that what you wanted to know? Is that what you're telling me?"

Slowly, so slowly, Clark nodded. Lex blinked, and his face shifted, radiated, melted, a smile creeping over his lips and up under his eyelids.

"I think that's the best drawing I've ever seen."

"I put a lot of feeling into it. My perspective technique might still need a little work, though." Clark grinned. He felt light inside. Lex was so smart. He understood what Clark meant even with so little to go on, and he always knew just what to say. It was very impressive.

"And these caves have artifacts made by your species, and you came here and somehow... Wait. Did you already know this language?"

Already he had more questions. Clark shook his head.

"You didn't know the language. But you came here and started something up and it gave you a data download that included changing your primary language settings." That was a nod. "Do you remember landing on this planet?" A shake of the head. "How did..."

Clark gestured for Lex to be quiet. He drew a spaceship, and a little baby stick figure, and Mom and Dad stick figures finding it in a cornfield and taking it to a farmhouse with a barn beside it.

"So your parents, so Jonathan and Martha, they just found a baby after the meteor shower and raised it as their son? And you're... you really are all those things that it seemed you might be, fast and strong and difficult to hurt?" More nodding. "How did they ever explain it to you?"

Clark shrugged. He pointed at the car drawing, then drew a Clark figure asking about it, and a Dad figure with a little picture of the spaceship in his speech bubble.

"You didn't know?" Oh, Lex was looking at him really intently because of that. "When I hit you... when I said that... you didn't know. That must have been really confusing and shocking." Some of that remembered shock must have shown in his eyes, because Lex reached out and ran a hand through Clark's hair, tracing the strands of it across his forehead, his expression gone dreamy. "So you only learned because of me."

He hadn't really thought of it like that before, but Lex was right. He had learned the truth because of Lex. And now Lex knew the truth, as well. Lex was looking him up and down, searching, considering, and it made Clark feel very self-conscious.

"You're an amazing specimen of human physique, for an alien." Then Lex smiled again. "Oh God, you're an alien. That's wonderful. That's the coolest thing ever. None of the other kids have their own alien."

Okay, Lex was going loopy over this. In a weird, unexpected way. "Pete does."

"Pete?"

Huh. He'd managed to say Pete's name. "He knows."

"Just Pete? And your parents?"

Clark nodded. "And now you."

"Just them and me." Lex's hand had left his forehead and his hair, and now Lex was tracing the lines of tendon on Clark's neck. Clark leaned away from that.

"I didn't give up my right to personal space when I told you this." It was... disconcerting to have Lex doing that. It didn't feel quite normal, and it made it hard for Clark to concentrate.

Lex pulled back, sitting down a little further away. "Ah. Right. I guess I was just checking to see if you felt any different. So, where were we? You were telling me that you grew up with no knowledge of your home planet, and only recently learned anything about it. Do you know what it's called?"

"Krypton."

"Krypton. So this language is...?"

"Kryptonian."

"Kryptonar. Interesting. A planet-wide language?"

Clark shrugged. "I guess so."

"And is Kal-El actually your name?"

Clark smiled wryly. "According to you. I can't tell the difference. But, yeah. I think it is. Or, it was. I don't know. I think of myself as Clark."

Lex's eyebrow crept up. "You said Clark. That's progress."

Some kind of progress. He could swear and say names. He'd be reduced to pantomime and drawings and that damn nodding for years, at this rate. Clark thought he might have actually rolled his eyes at that.

"Not too excited? Well, then. Tell me. Why are you... Why were you sent here?"

Making a classic gesture, Clark put both of his fists together in front of him and then threw them apart, splaying his fingers out. "The planet got destroyed. Boom. I think they probably did it to themselves."

"It blew up? The whole thing?"

"They're all dead."

"Were there many survivors? If you could escape..."

Clark shook his head. He held up a hand, curving his fingers in a circle.

"None?" Lex was frowning, staring at him even more fixedly than before. "As far as you know you're the only one? The... last? That's... I can't even imagine how that would feel."

Clark shrugged and looked down, away from Lex's eyes.

"Clark." Reaching out, Lex placed his hand on Clark's knee. "Nothing's going to bring them back, and it's always going to hurt. I know. But there... there are still people who care about you, and that's worth a lot. It doesn't make up for the rest, but..." He trailed off, his thumb stroking over the back of Clark's wrist, making Clark shiver. He did have family and friends who were wonderful, who stood by him, who made him happy.

There had to be a way to say that to Lex, to thank him for being so good about this. He shifted his hand away from Lex's in order to try drawing again. He drew little Clark and Lex stick figures hugging and smiling. Then for good measure he drew another happy sun and a house next to them, and his mom and dad in the background. Then a few little hearts in the air, just to make sure. Then he realized Lex was staring at the picture a bit too long, before Lex's gaze crept up and he was... looking at Clark really intently. Really intently, and Clark glanced back down at the hearts and. Oops. He crossed one out, then shook his head frantically and sketched a question mark next to the picture. That hadn't been what he meant. Had it?

"Clark. Yes. It's true." Lex's expression was resigned. "I shouldn't be admitting this, but you've been... amazingly honest with me today, and it would be quite hypocritical not to return the favor. So, yes. I do care about you. And I've been attracted to you since I first saw you. I really respect and admire you, I think you're a fantastic hu- person. I'm sure I can only say this right now because you... I'm really going to regret this later, aren't I? Was that even what..." Lex looked away, at the far wall of the cave. "Please don't be angry."

Hearing the slight tremor in Lex's voice made Clark feel even more wobbly inside than when Lex touched him. That hadn't been quite what he was trying to convey, and that hadn't been the response he'd expected. But. Now he needed to reassure Lex yet again, and Lex was starting to stand up. Clark reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back down. "I'm not angry." Lex settled onto the ground again, watching Clark expectantly. Clark shook his head. "Lex..." Oh, it was that word again.

Lex seemed to be pulling back a bit, not letting any parts of them touch, even though they were now sitting right next to each other again, leaning against the cave walls. "What do you feel, Clark? I have no idea. Do you feel the same way at all about me?" He sounded completely calm, but Clark was sure he actually wasn't.

Clark nodded. There were some parts of what Lex had said... Then he shook his head. He shrugged. What did he feel? Of course he liked and admired Lex. They were best friends. He felt comfortable and happy when Lex was around, despite all the tensions and problems. And he enjoyed watching the way Lex walked, the way he moved. It was so hypnotic. Lex's face, when he quirked an eyebrow, or when he smiled, or when he stared at Clark like that. He could watch Lex's face forever.

"What about Lana?"

Clark repeated the same series of gestures. He'd loved Lana for so long, but the reality of being with her seemed to draw farther and farther away, like a dream that fades on waking. His feelings for her and the person he was actually coming to know were strangely disconnected.

And there was Lex's smile again. "So you're just a confused little boy."

That could get a definite nod. Confusion was Clark's other best friend.

"I remember the feeling. I spent a while trying to figure out whether I liked women, men, both, neither... I told myself I was being very scientific about it, performing all kinds of experiments. Some of those experiments were successful. Some were rather spectacular failures." He grinned. "Now that I'm older and wiser, I might recommend a little less wild experimentation and a little more calm internal reflection while trying to sort these things out. Never underestimate the value of a good soul-searching."

Oh, that just wasn't fair. Lex couldn't spill his own secrets like that when Clark couldn't ask follow-up questions. What kinds of things had Lex done? What had he figured out about himself? And how could he possibly sit there and tell Clark not to try things out? Maybe it was time to whip out the bad French again, just to get Lex to stop being so annoyingly... annoying. "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" That would teach Lex to lecture him about this.

It did not have the desired effect. Instead Lex burst out laughing, flinging an arm around Clark's shoulders. "Your accent is too terrible. Never say anything like that again. It's... It's just like that episode of The Tick, where he gets turned into a bird that can only speak bad high school French. He couldn't say anything but stuff like 'Je m'appelle le Tick. Ou est la Tour Eiffel?' And you can't even say that much!" He was practically collapsed against Clark's side from laughing so hard, gasping out his words.

"You're a mean, horrible person. You know that?"

"Of course I like The Tick. Everyone likes The Tick."

"No, you don't understand me. I hate you. You suck." Clark frowned. None of this was going the way he wanted it to. Not that he was quite sure how he wanted it all to go, but still, it wasn't going that way. Lex wasn't supposed to be insulting him.

"Ah, but I do it so well, according to everyone. ...I cannot believe I actually just said that to you." Lex was still laughing, lifting his face off Clark's shoulder, looking at him again.

Suddenly Clark knew what he wanted to do. Lex was right there, and Clark wanted to kiss him. Had been wanting to for a while, he could admit it to himself, he was brave, but Lex's mouth had never been so close, so tantalizing, so insufferably mocking before. Clark leaned in. Lex's eyes tightened, and his hand came up, his fingers pressing against Clark's lips, holding him back.

"I think this is something we need to talk about when we can actually both understand each other. There are a lot of aspects involved here, and you shouldn't do anything foolish."

He had forgotten. "Helen." Oh, he was such a cad, and so stupid. Did he honestly think Lex was coming on to him? Even if Lex had been interested in him before, he was with someone else now, and what's more, the fact that Clark was an alien must have wiped out any of those ideas that still lingered. Clark could be attracted to humans because he had been around them his whole life, and they were all he had, but why would any human be attracted to a Kryptonian?

"Yes, Helen." Such a relief. He could say people's names correctly. When he didn't want to. "I asked her to move in with me." Clark looked away. He felt like a total jerk. "She hasn't answered me yet, but from the way she acts, I know she'll say no. She'll take the offer from Johns Hopkins. I don't believe she really reciprocates my feelings to that extent. We're basically through." Lex pulled his arms away from Clark, placing his hands on his crossed legs.

"I'm sorry." Clark wasn't entirely sorry about the two of them breaking up, but he was sorry that Lex sounded saddened by it.

Lex shrugged. "It's the way things go. I value your friendship quite a lot, and I don't want to see it fall prey to the inevitable vagaries of romance. Heartbreak tends to complicate things."

"But, Lex, I've already given you the worst parts. How could anything be more complicated?" He remembered how, like a rush. "Right. She knows, Helen knows about me, my secret. And your father is very suspicious. Maybe I wasn't entirely accurate when I said it was just you and Pete and my parents."

With a sidelong look, Lex tapped the notebook resting in Clark's lap. "Make a list. 'Things I need to tell Lex again later when he actually understands them.' Any of that important-sounding stuff you say in such a serious tone should get written on it."

"Don't shut me out now."

"This interlude has probably gone on long enough. Shall we get back to our attempts to have you relearn the English language?"

"No!" Clark stood up, quickly. "I don't want any of your structure and attempts and anything. I just want you to talk to me." He shook the notebook in Lex's face, then stomped off across the room. There was that damn keyhole that had started all this. Walking up to the wall, he glared at it. "Couldn't you have just been useful? Couldn't you have told me something without trying to take over my life?" He poked at it.

The wall slid open, light pouring out.

***

Lex stared. Clark had gotten up and stormed over to a section of wall that then opened for him. Now he was blinking into a brightly lit room full of strangely curved... Furniture? Machines? Sculptures? Clark stepped forward. "That might not be the best..." The wall began to slide closed again. Lex raced for it, frantic not to be shut out, and barely made it through before the rocks sealed themselves seamlessly behind him.

Symbols began to move across a wide, smooth surface on the wall before them, lines flowing from either side and passing each other. Clark was watching it, his eyes flicking back and forth as Lex approached. He was biting his lip.

Lex glanced around the room. There were some protrusions from the walls, and a few shapes rising out of the floor. None of the objects had a recognizable function, except for the screen Clark was reading. Clark said something in that other language, Kryptonar. It was both liltingly melodic and harshly guttural, all at once, and it sounded very beautiful rolling off Clark's tongue. Beautiful, and utterly incomprehensible. Clark looked upset. Not the annoyed sort of upset he had been at Lex just before this door opened, instead it was a sadder sort of upset, deep and weary. As if he were trying to deny something.

He didn't respond at first when Lex reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Clark?" That got him to turn, slowly. He said something else, just a few words. "What is it now?"

Clark sighed, shaking his head. Lex had been torn all this time between his desire to comfort Clark and his desire not to cross any lines. And even though Clark seemed now to be more receptive to his attraction than Lex had recently hoped, this was still a stressful situation, and not necessarily an accurate representation of Clark's overall feelings. Anything he said or did right now was merely indicative of how shook up he was. So Lex left his hand on Clark's shoulder but didn't do anything else.

Lifting his notebook, Clark started to draw. The fact that he was able to draw, and could make such symbolically competent cartoons, was almost as much of a shock as the fact that he was a sentient being from another planet whose biological abilities outclassed those of humans. Lex had been suspicious of the latter, but he hadn't ever seen any evidence of the former. Not that he had seen any evidence against it, either, just that it was previously unknown.

The drawing showed a globe of the Earth wrapped in chains. There was a stick figure Clark seated on a throne, his feet resting on the globe. Clark pointed to the drawing, then to the symbols moving across the wall, then to the drawing again. He drew a globe of another world, the continents shaped differently. Lex had no idea whether it was at all an accurate map. A hail of bombs flew around the world, and explosive lines came out of it, and then an arrow from it to the throne and chained Earth.

"Your planet was blown up... and so you're supposed to conquer and rule this one? The writing says so?" When Clark nodded, Lex continued. "I never thought taking over the world was very high on your to-do list."

Clark's shoulders slumped, and his head dropped even lower.

"I'll fight you for it." The joke clearly fell flat, as Clark just closed his eyes wearily.

"Clark, you don't have to do anything just because some writing on a wall tells you to." Clark looked up again and gestured wildly at the room around them, but Lex couldn't tell what that was supposed to mean. "No, listen to me. You can make your own choices, and those choices determine your future. It's not set in stone. I've thought about this quite frequently, and that's the only valid conclusion I can reach." Clark began shaking his head, back and forth, not stopping. Lex reached out to grab his chin, but he moved faster and faster, his face blurring, and Lex pulled his hand back. That was quite impressive. How quickly could Clark move, after all? "No, Clark. No. No, no. Don't be like this." He put his hands on both Clark's shoulders instead, shaking him lightly. "Calm down."

Not stopping, Clark gestured around at the room again, at all the objects in it. Lex didn't even look at them. Here he was, in a room full of alien technology. He ought to be incredibly excited, but the prospect of exploring it didn't seem anywhere near as important as helping Clark. He reached out again toward Clark's face, and just as Lex was beginning to think that they would collide with a force that would break his hand, Clark stopped moving. He stared at Lex, his green eyes huge. Lex stretched his fingers along Clark's jawline. "You're not like them. You won't destroy an entire world. I know that."

He felt Clark's hands wrap around his back, and Clark was pulling him close, burying his face in Lex's neck, his breath hot. He wasn't crying, no, he was just holding on. Lex slid his arms around Clark's shoulders, whispering to him as if to a baby, or to someone tripping out. "Shh, shh. This doesn't mean they can get to you, it doesn't mean they can control you, it doesn't mean anything. You're still the same person. No language-ray machine, no fucking essay in glowing letters, no hidden rooms are going to change that."

"Fucking," Clark mumbled, followed by more unintelligible syllables and a mocking snort.

"And as well as being a sign of a limited vocabulary, swearing is also indicative of emotional extremity." That was good. Keep him from fixating.

Clark raised his head and stared at Lex, mouth curving in a slight grin, spilling out rough, liquid sounds.

"You enjoy being able to say that to my face now, but don't think you're going to get away with it forever." Lex started to let go of Clark and step away, but Clark pulled him closer. "Clark..."

And then Clark was leaning in, his lips brushing against Lex's, their bodies pressed tightly together. His tongue flickered over Lex's mouth. Lex closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, Clark's features blurring from the proximity.

"I don't think this is appropriate." Lex could feel the curves of Clark's lips even as he spoke, not quite able to pull back. "I don't want to treat you like a rebound fling, even though I knew you first. And you are a little under the influence. I could be considered to be taking advantage. Technically, you can't even say no."

There was a single harsh syllable in response.

"Does that mean no?"

A smooth purr with a trill at the end was the reply.

"And does that mean yes?"

Clark repeated the same sound.

"If you ever travel, I have found that sex is indeed a very effective immersion method of learning languages." Lex had to laugh. Here he was fending off the advances of someone he'd been wanting for ages, all while focusing on linguistic tangents rather than the main conversation. If conversation it could be called. Why couldn't he stop the flirting innuendos now? Was it the sensation of Clark's hipbones against his abdomen? Or the patterns Clark's fingers were tracing against his back, that suddenly seemed so very directed that he was beginning to suspect he was being written on?

Clark whispered something else into his ear, then sucked hard on his earlobe.

"It's unfair." He decided to try out one of his new Kryptonian words. "Rk, Clark. Mmm, that rhymes."

"Rrl, Lex."

"Oh, God, now that's really unfair."

"Lex... Lex, Lex, Lex."

The sound of his name shivered all down his spine. Somehow it had come back into Clark's consciousness. Lex wondered if he'd be able to taste it in Clark's mouth, burning like wine and sugar.

"Lex."

Oh, fuck. What could he possibly say in response to that? "Clark... Kal-El..."

Clark shook his head. "Rk uh." There were more sounds, ending in "...Clark."

Staring into Clark's brilliant eyes, Lex nodded. "Clark."

He was flashed a gleaming smile in response, as if he had done the best thing in the world. Clark's expectations were so shockingly low sometimes.

Clark leaned in again.

Or maybe they were far too high.

There it was on Clark's tongue, like a burst of knowledge, apples and pomegranates. Clark was breathing into him, saying his name again, clear as a silver bell, alien beauty leading Lex down to some of the oldest parts of the human mind.

And yes. Lex was ready to try it. Being noble was a very good intention, but everyone knew where that road led. He guessed that the cost of rejecting Clark now would be higher than the possible cost of later regrets for saying yes.

Because Clark was, Clark was kissing him, and Clark was still repeating his name, and Lex shifted, let his legs spread enough to hitch himself up Clark's thigh, mirrored it by pressing his own thigh into Clark's crotch, tangled his fingers in Clark's hair, and kissed back.

Maybe later he could convince himself that there was some sort of sex-ray in the room. Maybe that would make him feel better.

But right now the push of Clark's chest against his felt good enough. Clark slouched down against the wall a bit and yes, now they were standing at just the correct relative heights. He could still see the glow of the moving words on the stone behind Clark, but they didn't hurt his eyes the way he might expect from staring at a light source so close.

Lex began to lick his way down Clark's neck, tasting the flesh and sweat, slightly astringent. There was a spot of dirt behind Clark's ear, and he wiped it away with a finger, rubbing it into Clark's flannel. Clark rolled his hips.

"You dirty boy."

Clark laughed.

He felt so free now, he could say what he wanted, do what he wanted. He had Clark's whole body to... No. There were too many clothes in the way to really say that. He started to tug at Clark's shirt buttons, and Clark made a little noise. He grabbed Lex's wrists in one hand and pushed them out of the way, then Lex felt a rush of air as Clark's other hand blurred for a second and both of their shirts were hanging open. Clark grinned smugly.

"Neat trick." That was hot, alright. Clark let go of Lex's hands and began to slide the shirt off his shoulders. Lex shrugged to help him along. He dragged his fingernails up Clark's stomach to his chest, circled his nipples, rocked his hips forward. He could feel Clark's erection pressing against his as Clark's teeth on his neck sent flashes of pleasure through his whole nervous system.

Clark was purring into his ear again, strange noises shifting into comprehension. "...for me, right, Lex?"

It almost made sense. "Mmm, we'll see. Like this?" He ducked his head to find Clark's mouth, kissing him deeply, sucking on his tongue, licking his lips. Clark clutched at him, hands wrapping across Lex's back, fingers splayed, returning the kiss desperately.

Reaching down, Lex undid the fly of Clark's jeans, slipping his hand inside. He pushed denim away until he had free access, and there was Clark's cock in his grip, hard and solid and silken soft against his fingers, impressively sized. Clark pressed back against the smooth rock behind him, head tilted, his eyes closed as Lex began to surge his way higher up Clark's thigh in rocking pulses, hand moving to the same rhythm. Clark was talking, babbling, sweet secret noises that merged into a wall of sound and pleasure, his hands digging into Lex's sides.

Lex watched, listened, tasted the skin of Clark's shoulder, saw his mouth trembling and his eyebrows squeezing down. It was universal and inexplicable, Clark's erection hot in his palm, the ability to cause this response. He could feel Clark's heart beating against his chest. Almost perfect.

"So amazing, Lex, keep doing that."

Lex stopped in mid-motion.

Clark opened his eyes. "I said..." He blinked. "Oh. I said?"

Staring into Clark's eyes, Lex nodded. "You did indeed." Clark tensed.

"That's good."

"That's very good." Resuming his stroking, Lex leaned forward the last inch required to touch his lips to Clark's. "Now tell me more about how amazing what I'm doing is."


	2. Bonus Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally adding the art that I originally made to go with the fic.

Here are some of Clark's stick figure drawings.


End file.
